In this festive season, we would love to greet you with legendary John Lennon's song and declare that the war is over. Unfortunately, it's still there and our battle for freedom goes on. 2022 has shaken the ground, as russia started a full-scale war against our country (Photo credit: Ukrainian cellist Denys Karachevtsev for The New York Times).
Music Export Ukraine didn't stop working. We gave interviews in bomb shelters, evacuated part of the team abroad, spent over 40 hours+ one way on the road each time we wanted to speak up at international events, postponed launches of projects because of mass shelling, collected and donated money to help Ukrainian musicians and many more. One thing is clear — Music Export Ukraine won't stop working.
We would like to thank all of our partners, colleagues and friends who supported us and the Ukrainian music scene in general. With your help, we managed to do a lot of great things this year:
- Had Ukrainian delegation, reception and music presented on Reeperbahn, Waves Vienna, Womex, and attended 8 conferences as delegates
- Coordinated 25 collaborations of Ukrainian musicians with foreign ones
- Assisted in over 20 bookings of emerging acts abroad with Music Saves UA
- Launched a platform about job opportunities for Ukrainian refugees
- Co-operated with European Radio Plugging to make dozens of Ukrainian songs heard across Europe
- Participated in policy making initiatives, contributing to EU programmes
- Organized music forum Selector Pro together with British Council Ukraine and hosted mentorship session for emerging professionals from Ukraine and wider Europe
This was an intense year and we're ready for the new one. Your voices and actions truly matter. If you'd like to contribute to Ukraine's victory, here's a few things you can do:
- Add Ukrainian components into your projects. Invite a Ukrainian act to your festival, participant to your project, songwriter to your music camp, etc. We need the spotlight more than ever.
- Sharing is caring. It could be the truth about war in Ukraine or your favorite Ukrainian artist. Keeping us in your social media and in conversations mean keeping us on the radar.
- Keep on donating. We recommend choosing Ukrainian initiatives over big international organizations, because they will ensure faster results. Musicians Defend Ukraine, Music Saves UA, Repair Together are just a few possible options if you're supporting both Ukraine and our culture. You can also donate to MEU itself, as we financially support Ukrainian emerging artists who struggle to develop their career in current obstacles.
Let's make 2023 more powerful and resilient! Glory to Ukraine!
What’s next? ESNS’23!
Ready to see you already in January at Eurosonic, as we’re preparing something very special there. Did you know that Carol of the Bells was written by a Ukrainian composer? Anything about a decade of psychedelic world-class music with the code name ‘Mustache Funk”? Rave parties in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone?
Alona Dmukhovska (MEU) along with Vlad Yaremchuk (Atlas festival), Sehii Maletskiy (H2D) and Daria Kolomiec (artist) are ready to present you the unknown part of Ukrainian music industry and get inspired. Find out more here.
On top of that, we’ll have eight (!) Ukrainian acts at the showcase festival:
- Psychedelic dreamers Love’n’Joy
- Hypnotizing Kurs Valut
- Groovy and chicky girl trio Fo Sho
- Viral pop phenomenon Jerry Heil
- Dreamy duo Krapka:Koma
- Bitanga girl from Carpathian mountains Alina Pash
- Music digger and activist Daria Kolomiec
- Girl trio Chillera inspired by surf music and funk
